There’s too much good and great music hitting the virtual racks, these days. As a result, new releases come and go and, by the time I get to them (if I get to them), I’m late to the game. While out and about yesterday, for instance, I clicked (via CarPlay) into Apple Music and was greeted by a slew of new songs, EPs and albums released over the past few weeks that the app’s algorithm assumes I’ll enjoy. I was aware of some, of course, ignorant of others, and taken aback by a few. [Artist name redacted] has a new single out?!
This morning, given that it’s Friday (new release day, for those not in the know), there’s even more to sift through. Some of the releases are high profile. Others are hidden gems, with a few of those albums and EPs I’ve been grooving to for the past month or so thanks to preview streams/downloads. I feel guilty when I push past them with nary a mention in this blog, but I’m just one guy and have limited time. I write not for fun, not profit.
I share that to say: Although I knew it hit the virtual racks last week, I didn’t have the time to devote to Irish folk-blues artist Muireann Bradley’s Rose Dogs EP until yesterday. The followup to her sterling 2023 debut, I Kept These Old Blues, it’s a soulful outing that expands her sound, ever-so-slightly, beyond the blues.
The five-song set opens with Jackson Browne’s “These Days,” written when he was 16, that mostly adheres to Nico’s original rendition. I spotlighted it upon its release as a single, of course, so won’t say too much more about it other than this: While the song and strings may not please the blues purists who walk among us, it’s a wondrous reading of a timeworn tune that inexplicably always sounds new.
As if to placate the purists, she follows it with a stripped-down spin on Skip James’ “Special Rider Blues” that emphasizes her vocals and deft guitar play. She may be young, but she’s got an old soul. Blaze Foley’s “Clay Pigeons” follows and, as with “These Days,” expands Bradley’s sonic palette. The instrumental “Sligo River Blues,” originally recorded by John Fahey in 1959, showcases Bradley’s fingerpicking prowess. The EP closes with her first original composition, “No Name Blues,” which was inspired by such blues singers as Memphis Minnie and Bessie Smith; it sounds like a treasure unearthed from a box of old 45s, just about, just sans the pops and clicks of ancient vinyl.
I’d say run, don’t walk, to your nearest record store, but at present Rose Dogs is only available in digital form. It can be streamed from the usual suspects, plus purchased from such sites as via HDTracks and iTunes.
The Old Grey Cat 